Bias of our Choices

I haven't done much this year, but I used to include more "non-engineering" projects in my science project classes. And this project is one of them. It's all about our how our preferences and bias of our choices. 

The worksheet I created for this project has two parts. The first part is about making connections with our preferences and our biases. The second part is about using the knowledge about the colors to make marketing choices.

Before we start the project, we talk about our favorite colors and what they mean. 

• People who like RED need physical fulfillment. 
• People who like BLUE need inner peace and truth.
• People who like YELLOW need logical order in their lives.
• People who like GREEN need to belong, to love, and to be loved.
• People who like BLACK need power and control in their lives.

Then we discuss whether we believe our decisions are influenced by the colors we like. Or if our favorite colors change depending on where we are or what we're doing. 

Supplies Needed:

• Bags of M & M's, Skittles, jelly beans, etc. to get many different colors of candy.
• A plastic container in which the pieces of candy could lie flat in one layer.
• Paper
• Pencil
• Crayons
• Markers

First Project Instructions:

1. Count out an equal number of candy in different colors and put them in the plastic container.     
   
   
   
   
   
2. Put one arm behind your back. 
   
   
   
   
   
3. Pick 20 candy pieces as quickly as possible using only the thumb and the index finger. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   My daughter tried to hurry and picked multiple pieces at one time and put them down. We had to repeat the process several times. I see this in classrooms all the time.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. After picking the jelly beans, write down how many of each color you’ve picked on a piece of paper. 
   
   
   
   
   
   

Looking at the colors of candy you picked, can someone else correctly guess your favorite colors (or at least general shade of it)? 

My daughter's favorite color is turquoise, but since she couldn't pick turquoise, she picked a lot of greens (two different shades) and blue.

Second Project Instructions:

For the second part of the project, each group or table team is a marketing/packaging consulting firm. Each team must come up with three packaging schemes for three of their clients. 

• Client 1 wants a sports packaging that says - I'm #1, and I can take anybody (Nike).
• Client 2 wants a food packaging that says - I'm good for you, but I'm a good value for your money, too (Cheerios).
• Client 3 wants a luxury item packaging that says - I'm worth the money, so spend it (Apple, Tiffany, etc.).

1. Take a piece of paper and brainstorm.
2. Begin drawing designs and come up with color schemes.
3. Give a 5-minute talk about your team strategy and color schemes.

I tried this project with 2nd graders, but I think this project works best with 4th grade and up, especially for the second part of the project.

Have fun!

Robotic Hand, 1st Attempt - June 22, 2015

Projects described in books or shown on Youtube seem absurdly easy, but I have yet come across a project that didn't need any tinkering before I could take it into a classroom. This one isn't too bad, but it still took me longer than I expected.

I came across this robotic hand project on Youtube as well as teachengineering.org (I think), but when I tried to build it, it took me almost two hours to work out the kinks. 

Sure, I did have to try several different versions and had to make adjustments as I went along, but I'm not sure if this is something I can take directly into a classroom of 2nd graders without more tinkering.

BUT... I think it'll be fun to try it with my kids.

Supplies Needed:

• Cardboard paper or cardstock paper
• Standard drinking straws (Dollar Store variety is fine)
• Pearl drink straws or bigger diameter straws
• Tape
• Yarn or twine

Project Instructions (as of now):

• Trace your hand on a cardboard or cardstock paper.
• Cut the traced hand out (cutting it a little bigger than the actual tracing).

• Mark your finger joints on the cutout.
• Draw straight or curved line across it.

• Fold the fingers at the lines.
• Cut smaller straws to size (leave a little gap between the lines to facilitate in threading the yarn).
• Tape straw pieces to the hand.
• Thread yarn through the straw pieces. Each finger will have a length of yarn of its own.
• Thread all five pieces of yarn through the bigger straw.

The writing on the hand has nothing to do with this project. I was recycling a stack of cardstock paper, and this one came out the best.

The threading part was difficult. If I had a big needle for the yarn, it would have made it easier, but I didn't. So, I struggled with it. If I do go forward with this one, I think I'll have to buy big plastic needles for this project.

The backside of the robotic hand.

I had grand plans for making a sleeve that will cover the arm, but I'm not sure I'll be able to build all of that in an hour let alone a 2nd grader. So, I might still try it, but I probably won't take it into the classroom.

If I were doing this in a classroom, I think I'll buy different colored yarns for each finger, so the students will know which finger they are trying to move. With the same colored yarns, it was difficult to figure out which end went with which finger.

I'll try to get my kids to make it soon, and post the results. In the meantime, why don't you give it a try? I spent two hours doing it, but it didn't feel like two hours. So, at the end of the day, if you enjoyed it, does it matter how long it takes? Unless, of course, you only have an hour of school science project time.

Have a great day and have fun!

P.S. - If you have any ideas about making this project more 2nd grader friendly, please let me know. Thanks!

Roaring Roller Coasters - June 1 , 2015

I decided to do a roller coaster project because, for the last two years, this was the team building project for the Tech Challenge teams at the Tech Museum of San Jose. So, I thought it must offer a lot of different learning opportunities, and it did.

The point of this project is NOT to find a right answer (because there is no right answer) but to encourage the team-building skills and problem-solving skills. I didn't realize that when I started, but it soon became clear.

But I do start the project, I ask the class about if any of the students have a favorite roller coaster, then we talk about some of their favorite roller coasters. Then I talk about potential energy and kinetic energy - the definitions, examples, formulas, drawings, etc. 

Potential Energy = mgh (m-mass, g-gravity, h-height)

Kinetic Energy =1/2mv2 (m-mass, v-velocity/speed)

A higher object has a greater potential energy (given the same mass), and a heavier object has a greater potential energy (given the same height), too. As the roller coaster drops from the high point, all of its potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, making the roller coaster to go fast.

Supplies List:

• A length of 1/2" pipe insulation 
• Three types of 1/2" balls or roller coasters (wooden - empty roller coaster, glass - half-filled roller coaster & metal bearings - full roller coaster)
• Some kind of materials to make support structures (I recycled strips of corrugated plastic boards we used for the Tech Challenge competition), but straws, chopsticks, foam/plastic cuts, etc. will do just fine
• Scotch tape
• Masking tape
• Cup (foam or plastic), but not too large

The goal of the project is to create a very exciting roller coaster for all three types of roller coaster types.

Project Requirement:

1. All three types of roller coasters (must roll, jump, fall, etc. into a cup in the same location.
2. Roller coaster design must have a loop, spiral or something to make the ride exciting.
3. The cup cannot touch the roller coaster track (1/2" pipe insulation).
4. Any team members cannot hold the track in place. The track must be standing on its own.
5. There is no winning criteria except that it must offer an exciting ride.

Building Instructions:

1. Test different designs by holding the track and rolling different types of balls down the track.
2. Once the team decides on the design, build the support structure to hold the track in place.
3. But first, tape the top of the roller coaster against something solid - wall, desk, chair, backpack, anything, then start putting in loops, spirals, etc. Trying to secure the complete roller coaster all at the same time is the most difficult way to go.
4. Brain-storm, design, test, and repeat.

Again, the possibilities are endless. Have fun!

Fantastic Foam Bridges - March 30, 2015

I do a lot of hands-on building projects because the students seem to enjoy them the most. This project is a variation on a marshmallow bridge project. This one is really exciting for the students because there's an element of competition, which brings and urgency into the situation.

 Supplies List:

•     Foam cubes - it doesn't matter what the size is unless it's really small. 1 inch foam cubes work pretty well.
•     Toothpicks
•     Small cups to hold pennies (tiny cups you'd get from a dentist's office)
•     Paper clips
•     Pennies (up to 700 pennies)
•     Plastic tub (to catch the pennies if/when the bridge collapses)

I draw a couple of truss bridge designs on a white board and talk about the triangles in the bridge design. Then I go on to talk about the advantages of using triangle; however, I caution them about the hypotenuse. With the toothpicks, the students have to do something about the length difference.

Project Instructions:

1.     Hand out a tube of foam cubes and ~250 toothpicks to each team of students.
2.     Build whatever shape the team wants to build.
3.     Build, test, & build, again!

Here are some records to break for next year:
 
2nd graders - last year, 298 pennies
3rd graders - this year, 250 pennies
4th graders - this year, 450 pennies
5th graders - this year, 650 pennies

I don't have a lot of class pictures because I have to load the pennies very carefully, evening out the load on the bridge. So, the teachers take the pictures, but I haven't received the pictures, yet. So, here's what I have.

~150 pennies in the right and the left cups each

Try this one at home and have a wonderful time.

P.S. - The only problem with this project is that the foam cubes are quite expensive (between $17.95 - $24.95 per 102 cubes), and we can't keep reusing the foam cubes. So, it does get expensive for a class project when I try to collect $10/year/student for the science projects. If you know where I can get them cheaper, please let me know.